The exodus of new graduates from San Jose's Police Academy is unsettling for a number of reasons. But seeing other cities hire them away immediately after San Jose has paid some $170,000 apiece, including salary, to recruit and train them? You know, that's just wrong.

San Jose needs to require recruits to reimburse the city for training costs if they jump to another department rather than making use of their skills here. If that makes some think twice about applying to San Jose -- well, those are the ones most likely to leave, anyway.

San Jose is down to about 1,000 sworn officers, 100 fewer than the current budget calls for and way below the high of 1,400 in better times. Experienced officers have been leaving for higher pay and benefits in the wake of a pay cut and pension reform ballot measures, a consequence of 10 years of deficit budgets from which the city is just beginning to recover. So now, for the first time in years, San Jose is hiring and training rookies, with 40 at a time going through its highly regarded academy.

But five of the first 40 are leaving already. And if you believe the police union, nearly half of the class members are looking to jump ship, just as they begin their field training.

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This is bragging on the union's part. Its leaders now encourage officers, new and veteran, to leave, inviting recruiters in to help them find other jobs. They have rejected city offers of raises, the most recent being 3 percent, demanding more progress toward recovering the 10 percent pay cut officers accepted several years ago.

The union would likely oppose a policy to discourage recruits from jumping ship. So we hope lawyers determine that an agreement recruits would sign before being hired is outside the union's purview.

Some California cities, including Los Angeles, already require reimbursements. Ironically, the list includes some that are coming after San Jose's officers. Oakland and Hayward, for example, have their recruits sign agreements to repay at least part of their training costs if they leave in the first few years. Hayward has recruited four of San Jose's trainees so far. (Hayward Police Chief Diane Urban, a former assistant chief in San Jose, knows quality training and a bargain when she sees it.)

The fairest way to handle this would be a state law requiring all cities to reimburse one another when they hire away newly-trained recruits. Georgia has such a law. But logical as it seems, Sacramento is unlikely to take it up for San Jose in the midst of a union dispute, so the city needs to forge ahead.

Fortunately, Councilman Johnny Khamis is working on a proposal with Vice Mayor Madison Nguyen. It's important to get something on the table now, since it's clear more academy classes will be needed to get the department up to strength.

It's just wrong to keep spending $170,000 to train each recruit without at least trying to protect the public investment.